Sunny Hostin defended CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, saying she did not believe he should be punished for participating in strategy calls after his brother, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was accused of sexual harassment.
Hostin claimed on Friday’s broadcast of “The View” that the Cuomo family had been “transparent” and even appeared to suggest that part of what made Chris Cuomo valuable to CNN was his access to the New York governor. (RELATED: ‘If My Dad Had Been Accused Of Sexual Assault’: Meghan McCain Blasts Chris Cuomo For Not Covering Bad News About His Brother)
WATCH:
Cohost Joy Behar asked Hostin whether the CNN anchor should be punished after CNN released a statement saying that it was “inappropriate” for him to participate in such calls and Cuomo himself addressed the situation on air, saying that his intent was only to help his brother.
“Should Chris be punished for putting family first?” Behar asked.
“No, I don’t actually think he should be punished. He’s been transparent,” Hostin replied. “There are so many people in the media that are hired because of their access. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Chris Cuomo had his brother on, the governor, repeatedly during the COVID crisis because he had that access. People that have access oftentimes get jobs in the media and these people use that access so they can get guests on the show. That wasn’t a mistake. That wasn’t unusual of the network. We see it all across the country.”
Hostin did not address the fact that once Gov. Cuomo fell out of favor — due to his handling of nursing home regulations during the pandemic and multiple accusations of sexual harassment — Chris Cuomo stopped doing the regular interviews and stopped covering his brother altogether for ethical reasons.
Hostin went on to argue that Fox News was no different, pointing to Sean Hannity’s admission that he had advised former President Donald Trump and to a recent bill signing in Florida where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had only allowed Fox News reporters and cameras into the room.
“This is something that goes on across the spectrum. I think by far Chris Cuomo and Andrew Cuomo have been more transparent about their relationship than you’ve seen on other networks like Fox News,” Hostin concluded, noting that she might be a little bit biased because she knew the Cuomo family. “I hold that family in high regard. I think they’re dealing with this very transparently and I appreciate the transparency.”